A Music-related blog containing information and commentary of my favorite music, as well as some choice downloads of quality, hard-to-find music (unofficial releases, ROIO's, concert bootlegs, etc.) available on the web.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Fastball2009-05-09City Winery, New York, NY, USAAudience recording, good-very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

Here's more from Fastball, a great Austin band that just kept on rockin' long after their brief brush with fame in the '90's. Here is the band in an extended show (2 sets) in 2009, more than a decade and multiple albums after their radio heyday, still going strong. This show was featuring their current album at the time, Little White Lies (2009), but the show covers songs from throughout their career, including all of the 'hits' and near-misses along the way, as well as some choice covers. A very good audience recording from the City Winery. So, check out Fastball, a bit later in their career, but still having fun in this energetic show.

Tracklist:
Set 1
01. All I Was Looking For Was You
02. Little White Lies
03. Fire Escape
04. The Malcontent (The Modern World)
05. You're An Ocean
06. Vampires
07. Soul Radio
08. Angelie
09. She's Got The Rain
10. Sunny Afternoon
11. Mono To Stereo
12. 'Til I Get It Right
Set 2
13. The Way
14. Falling Upstairs
15. Whatever Gets You On
16. White Noise
17. Slow Drag
18. We'll Always Have Paris
19. Sweetwater, Texas > Tracks Of MY Tears
20. Are You Ready For The Fallout?
21. Out Of My Head
22. Seattle
23. Always Never
24. Encore Break
25. Sooner Or Later
26. Alright
27. Encore Break
28. All I Have To Do Is Dream

Note: For any fans interested in more music from Fastball, Dozens of additional shows (audience recordings) are available (in both FLAC and mp3) at The Live Music Archive (That's where both of the shows I featured came from).

Sunday, July 14, 2019

FastballAugust 21, 1998The House Of Blues,New Orleans, LAWebcast recording, very good qualityAvailable in both lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (@320 kbps) versions

While we are covering under-rated/under-appreciated bands of the '90', coming at you now is Fastball, a great and versatile guitar-rock band from Austin, TX that plays a variety of rock styles, from high-energy, hard-driving rock 'n roll to power pop and quirky, catchy pop songs. Formed by Tony Scalzo (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, songwriting), Miles Zuniga (vocals, guitar, songwriting), and Joey Shuffield (drums) in 1995, the band quickly built a strong following in and around the Austin area, and soon signed a record deal with Hollywood records. However, their first album, Make Your Mama Proud (1996) quickly died without much notice, putting the future of the band in doubt. But their second album, All the Pain Money Can Buy (1998) hit the big time, with their lead single 'The Way' becoming a major hit, and follow-up singles 'Fire Escape' and 'Out of My Head' also generating substantial buzz and radioplay, propelling the album to platinum status. Alas, their subsequent album The Harsh Light of Day (2000), despite being a very solid follow-up, failed to generate much enthusiasm (or hits), leaving the band without a record label. Part of the problem seemed to be that the music the band plays is hard to classify, as it doesn't fit into any one category, and those looking for something similar to the 'The Way' (which was a sort of mix of Tex-Mex meets Hotel California strangeness) might have been disappointed that nothing else they did sounded quite like that. But the band persevered, and continued to do their own diverse kinds and styles of music. Although sometimes branded as a 'one-hit wonder', Fastball has continued to make high-quality albums and music through the years, and are still together making music today. Their subsequent albums include Keep Your Wig On (2004), Little White Lies (2009), and Step Into Light (2017). The band is reportedly working on a new album that may be released later in 2019. But here they are back in 1998, enjoying the success of their breakout single and album. This is a very good webcast recording of the band at The House of Blues in New Orleans performing songs from their first 2 albums (as well as a few covers). Check 'em out.

Friday, July 5, 2019

Following up on the previous The Connells post, here is a show from 1995, after the release and European success of Ring and their breakout hit there, '74-75', as they toured through Europe. This is a short but very sweet broadcast radio show (from Germany's WDR) in excellent quality. Although short (43 min), it contains several additional songs from Ring ('Running Mary', 'Disappointed', 'Burden', 'New Boy', and '74-75') that were not in the previously featured show, as well as a full performance of 'Choose A Side' (in the previous show song was cut due to tape flip). So, great stuff here, and the boys were enjoying their newfound (but unfortunately short-lived) rock star success in Europe. Alas, they never found the same level of success in the U.S. Very underrated band.

Monday, July 1, 2019

The Connells1992-05-08Washington & Lee University,Lexington, VA Soundboard recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (320 kbps) versions

While we're talking about great underrated 80's-90's bands, here's The Connells. From Raleigh, North Carolina, originally formed by brothers Mike and David Connell (guitar and bass, respectively) and Doug MacMillan (vocals) in 1984, and a little later joined by George Huntley (guitar, keyboards) and Peele Wimberley (drums). Their first album, Darker Days (1985) was produced by fellow North Carolinian, the legendary Don Dixon (R.E.M., The Smithereens, Chris Stamey, Marti Jones, Marshall Crenshaw). But the band really came together on their 2nd album, Boylan Heights (1987), which was produced by Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Game Theory, Let's Active, Loud Family), and established the reputation of the band in the 'jangle pop' style of those two notable producers, but also kept them in the shadow of and fighting comparisons with the better-known bands R.E.M. and Let's Active. But the band scored on college campuses and college radio, with multiple tracks gaining momentum and airplay. The band continued to grow beyond their jangle pop label with more expansive styles (alt-rock, power pop) over their next couple albums, Fun & Games (1989) and One Simple Word (1990), and although they continued to have success on college campuses, they couldn't quite break through to more commercial success. But then in 1993, they released Ring, their most accomplished and appealing album, which seemed destined to bring greater success and acclaim for the band. I happened to be living in Raleigh NC for a couple years in the mid-90's, and I was there at that time, and The Connells were huge there, and Ring was just what they needed to become big everywhere else. But although the first single from the album, 'Slackjawed' was again a hit on college radio, album sales were flat, much to the disappointment of the band. But then, the follow-up single, '74-75', started to take off in europe, where it became a huge hit, reaching #1 in Norway and Sweden, and the top ten in several other countries (including U.K. and Germany), but surprisingly, went nowhere in the U.S., where the album barely cracked the charts (at #199). But this started major touring throughout Europe, where they were received as stars. Their next album, Weird Food and Devastation (1996) featured a starker and heavier production than the more melodic Ring, and failed to build on its momentum. Two more albums, Still Life (1998) and Old School Dropouts (2001) were released in subsequent years, still strong, but never garnered much attention. After that, some members left (Huntley, Wimberley), but the band never really broke up. They continued to get together to perform occasional concerts or brief tours, just more sporadically, and are still performing today. This show comes from the period just before they recorded Ring, in mid-1992, thus primarily featuring songs from their first 4 albums, plus a preview of a few new songs that would be on Ring ('Slackjawed', 'Hey You', 'Doin' You' and an early version of 'Carry My Picture' with quite different lyrics from the final version). There is a notable cut (tape flip) that eviscerates one song ('Choose a Side', but overall, this serves as a good introduction to the band.

About This Blog

This site respects and supports artists and artist rights. Please support the artists by purchasing their officially released music through normal channels. The music files, information, and downloads linked here represent unreleased recordings that are not available through any official channels. This music is meant to supplement (and not replace) the currently available official releases for fans that want to explore deeper into an artists repertoire than is possible through official releases only (through demos, outtakes, alternate versions, and concert recordings). The music linked here is presented for sampling and evaluation purposes. By all means, if you enjoy the music from any artists represented here, please buy their official releases. All music files linked here are freely available elsewhere on the internet and no music files are stored at this site. I hope you find new music to enjoy here.

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